Packing a Quilt for Shipping

I’ve written an article about packing quilts for shipping.  You can find it on my website.

Do you have tips for packing or shipping quilts?  If so, I’d love to hear them.  All you need to do is leave a comment below.

Ellen Lindner

10 Comments

  1. Thanks Ellen. I learned a lot. I really liked the triangle boxes the post office used to sell. They are sturdier than the square + + + much cheaper to mail because the inches around are one side less.

  2. Jeanne says:

    Having an appraisal is the safest way to be sure that the insurance that you pay for will be worth it. The only thing I would add to packing advice is to use strapping tape on the ends. It’s much harder for someone to get through if they just want to open the end and steal the quilt. Which does happen, I’m sorry to say! Thanks for a very informative post.

  3. Terry says:

    Ellen Excellent photos! I use a similar system for shipping to buyers but I’ve had bad luck with long boxes shipping to shows. The box comes back broken in the middle, no paper to hold quilt in place, missing noodle, quilt crammed inside. Have you had similar experience? I hate to fold my quilts into a square box, they dont fold well, but have resorted to that.

  4. ellen says:

    Thanks for your comments, everyone.

    Ann, FedEx has a triangular box like that. They work well and all FedEx boxes are free. BUT, you have to ship that particular shape by air, so the price goes up.

    Terry, I’ve never had problems with the long boxes. I’ve always gotten the noodle back, but it’s generally not packed the same way I sent it.

  5. Mary Ritter says:

    Thanks to Ellen and those who have responded. My first time to mail a quilt is still in my future, but I have saved this information. It is so complete and so very helpful!!

  6. Lyn Smith says:

    Great information. I have found that JoAnn’s has long skinny bags at the cash register that they use for home dec fabrics which are purchsed on the tubes. I asked for one once and they gave it to me. Maybe they are available for purchase if you use them often.

  7. Terry Aske says:

    Ellen, great photos and explanations.

    I pack my quilts in a similar manner – wrapped around a pool noodle and packed in a long skinny box. I try to use clear plastic bags rather than opaque. I’ve shipped a lot of quilts to shows in these boxes, and never had a problem with bent boxes or bad packaging when the quilt was returned.

    I live in Canada where postage and shipping costs are much higher than in the US, so I do my best to keep the size of the box to a minimum, to reduce my shipping costs (somewhat). I order my boxes in 48″ lengths and cut them down to the required size. I order a variety of widths – 4 x 4″ (for one smallish quilt), 5 x 5″ (for 1 large quilt, or 2-3 small ones) and 6 x 6″ (for several quilts). I found a local (near Vancouver BC) box supplier where I can order quantities of 5 or 10, as I have no room to store 25 boxes of each size.

  8. ellen says:

    Terry, I like your idea of using see-through bags. And you are SO lucky to be able to buy the boxes in small quantities!

  9. ellen says:

    Jeanne, I think I overlooked your earlier comment about packing. The extra tape on the ends is a very good idea. Thanks!

  10. Muzi says:

    I’m in the process of maknig a full size nine-patch quilt for my daughter. My sisters (I have five) quilt too. We love to get together and help each other with a quilt. It makes for some great laughs and ideas. Quilting is addictive.